“They’ve asked, ‘Can he play? Does he want to play?'” Edwards told Bell. “The last question I can’t answer. The first question, absolutely. If Kaep makes up his mind, he wouldn’t only go in and make a team, he’d put pressure on somebody to start.”

That response hasn’t sparked the formal pursuit of Kaepernick by any of the three teams, none of whom Edwards named. Meanwhile, Edward believes that Kaepernick’s National Anthem protest from 2016 has become a factor in his ongoing unemployment, even though the reasons leaked by unnamed sources to various media members focus on more innocuous factors.

“I don’t think there’s any question that there are some owners who wouldn’t have him in the league, much less on their team,” Edwards said. “But I fully expect one [team to sign him], because it’s in the best interest of the league to have him on a team.”

This suggests that, eventually, the league office could get involved with this one, twisting arms and/or trading favors to get someone to give him a job — like the league office reportedly did three years ago with Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to attempt to play in the NFL.

Still, if Kaepernick eventually will be on a team, it makes sense both for him and his employer for that to happen during offseason workouts, so that he’ll have the best chance to learn the offense, the coaches, and the personnel. If he’s thrust into an unfamiliar environment at the outset of training camp, it will become much harder for him to make a 53-man roster.

Cutler couldn’t get a job offer either, and now he’s broadcasting. Fitzpatrick is now in the same boat as Kaepernick: both guys THINK they deserve to start and be paid $9-$10 million per year. The trouble is NO team wants to pay them that because clearly they aren’t worth it, and last time I checked Fitz stood for the anthem so PLEASE, let’s just kill this storyline! If Kap was clearly a top 10 QB, he could drown puppies and teams would line up to sign him (see Michael Vick). He ain’t so unless and until he lowers his asking price to a more reasonable contract with incentives, ha will remain unemployed (just like Fitzpatrick).

A QB is the face of the franchise. By sitting or kneeling during the National Anthem, he is representing that the team is sitting or kneeling. People love their spouse. They may not agree with everything the spouse does or says, but would never disrespect them. Kap did that to America. That is unacceptable and intolerable. Even with Brady skills, no team will have him. It isn’t politics, it is Patriotism.

Kapernick made his stand, that was his choice. The choice from each individual owner is do I want the media attention the fallout from his stand will bring if we put him on the team? That is the owner’s choice.

Now, factor in his diminished play and the risk-reward ratio is tilting too much on the “It’s not wort it” side. So where’s the black balling? He doesn’t have a birth right to play in the NFL, it’s a privilege and an honor, he abused that honor and the owner has a right to assume as much or as little risk as he wants.

Cap made a choice when he decided to take a knee. I thought it was misguided at the time, and still do. Better ways to make a point than the avenue Cap chose. But IMO it seemed he wanted to make a splash, and that he did.

While I have no ill will towards him for his actions, I also have no issues with any team that did, or any team that wants to avoid any headaches associated with signing him.

His advisor isn’t sure he wants to play? Why would a team go any further with a QB who isn’t sure he wants to play? Add to that the baggage, injury’s and the fact he has regressed not progressed for the last three years.

realjuztice says:
May 11, 2017 11:57 PM
Great. Someone called. Can we now move on from this myth of Kaepernick being blackballed because of his stance on social issues.
____________________________
…no we cannot.
sorry, despite what your privilege has led you to believe, if you truly think that Kaep is not being blackballed by the power structure of the NFL then your being the mythological one.

but why should you be any different than the current administration or the sheep that follow it.

I guess that IS an accurate description, but it really doesn’t tell much of the story.

“Che Guevara, a well known physician and symbol of the counter culture,…”

Would that be the same kind of description?
This site goes into politics too much to say it doesn’t go into politics. Sometimes, what a person doesn’t say about a topic speaks as loudly as what they do say.

Kaepernick got drafted the year of the lockout, so there was no pre-season. Harbaugh was signed just before the lockout, so he was able to meet with Alex Smith and give him the playbook. Smith directed unofficial off-season workouts with the other players, so once the season started, Smith was the only QB capable of taking snaps on game day. So Kaepernick’s real first season was washed out. So his second year was really his first. That year he took over for an injured Smith and led the team to the super bowl. His next season he led them to the NFC championship game up in Seattle. The 49ers very nearly won both those games, so really, Kaepernick was only a whisker away from being a two time super bowl winning QB, in his first real two seasons. History shows us without a doubt that QBs get better and better over time. There was a lot of upheaval and change taking place in San Francisco after Kap’s first two seasons. So there’s absolutely no doubt about Kap’s ability to play winning football, and win big playoff games. This is the same group of GMs that traded away the house for RG3, and drafted E.J. Manuel very high, so I would say this current group of GMs is more incompetent when it comes to evaluating QBs, than anything else. That can be their excuse, and nobody can argue.

How is it in the league’s best interests to have him on a team? If anything, keeping him out of the league sends a very clear message to all players to restrict any kind of sociopolitical activities to their own time, which is exactly the way it should be. I don’t know of any company that would encourage its employees to go around proselytizing for their political beliefs on company time while flying the corporate colors.

Nonsense. Harry Edwards has as much influence on the NFL as a swarm of killer bees. There is just no place to accommodate them. Period. The NFL knows Edwards would have Kaepernick wearing a black power glove the moment the national cameras are running.

I have more respect for Kaepernick than Edwards. If I was an owner I would now be less likely to hire Kaep if he approves Edwards speaking for him. He’s made too many past comments that seem racist to me.

“They’ve asked, ‘Can he play? Does he want to play?’” Edwards told Bell. “The last question I can’t answer. The first question, absolutely…”
~~~~~~~
I would expect the sociologist to be better equipped to answer the second question rather than the first

Why should the league twist arms? Michael Sam was ‘born this way’, so they helped him out. This was his choice to disrespect the country and policeman everywhere by protesting the way he did.
And don’t forget it’s not only the owners personal thoughts on him, it’s also the teams fans, and from the amount of ‘thumbs’ voting on this I think it’s pretty evident he would produce a lot of controversy wherever he goes.

This seems to have all the makings of a “Fake News” story. First, why would any serious team call Harry Edwards for anything personnel related? Second, the same 2 questions? As if Harry Edwards had the first clue on answering either of them.

Here is my theory, Mr. Edwards is like any other celebrity, he needs to keep his name in the news to appear relevant for the near future. His income depends on it. I assume he has more than a superficial relationship with Colin Kaepernick so they talk once in awhile. Mr. Edwards seizes this an opportunity to keep his name in the news.

The author clearly thinks Kaep deserves another opportunity with a team because (1) he is not the worst QB in the league and (2) I have no idea why else.

He had a good contract sitting on the table waiting for him to sign. He bet on the fact that other NFL owners and GMs would be willing to overlook the fact that he pissed off about 75% of NFL fans and offer him a better contract. He blew it – plain and simple.

He might get another opportunity at some point, but it will be an injury fill-in, backup role for far less than he left on the table. He’s hasn’t been good enough to be an NFL starter for several years now.

eljefedelmundo says:
May 12, 2017 12:57 AM
I just don’t get the K pick hate.

You all hate on Jesse Owens when he put his fist up at the Olympics?

Didn’t think so.
——–
Geez, if you can’t get your history right, don’t post at all.
Jesse Owens did not put his fist up at the Summer Olympics in 1936. That was Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics after winning gold and bronze in the 200m sprint. …and they took a lot of backlash for their Black Power salute.

At this point, he may have to settle for the league minimum to find a team. His win-loss record from last season is a major factor. QBs are judged similarly to baseball pitchers, by their win-loss record above all else. Having a good ERA or QB rating is not enough.

I am sure there are owners who just don’t want him on his team but I think the majority of teams feel he is not a good enough player to be worth the media circus and distraction he brings to a team (See Tim Tebow). You would also have to alter your offense to fit his skill set and most teams are not going to do that for him. No one wants a backup QB to be in the media every day. He was a huge distraction to a disaster of a season last year for the 49ers.

Harry Edwards is worse of a creeper than the groupies who hang out at bars hoping to hook up with a celebrity. He latches on to professional athletes for his own personal benefit as some sort of guru despite the fact his own real marketable skill is being black. Nobody cares what this clown has to say besides a few of the young, vulnerable athletes manipulated by him.

If the League needs him, as the article suggests, then one team, with an agreement with the NFL and all other teams, should hire him ( his salary not counting against the cap), to be a roving ambassador….
He can go to Australia and teach Aussie rules football players how to take a knee during their anthem. Then go to Fiji and American Samoa and do the same with the rugby players…
And then go to Europe: Albania, Kazakhstan, etc etc….
This will silence those that think he should be in the NFL, while at the same time keep him far away from a football field.

be sincere.. you know he doesn’t have a job because he wouldn’t stand for the anthem.. they are giving QB jobs to clowns like Mark Sanchez.. if it was that he wanted to much cash that doesn’t stop anyone from giving him a lower offer.. if it is because he was “selfish” welcome to the NFL where almost every player is selfish when it comes to getting money and wanting the ball.. if it is his wins and loses then why on earth did someone just sign Blaine Gabbert or Josh McNown? You can not like the guy that is your right as an American and just as a human, but don’t act like it has nothing to do with his not standing that just makes you look like an uneducated bigot.

Note to Colin: You had a great plan You wanted to make a statement. You did. You obviously didn’t think too hard about it though, because you never expected the backlash. Maybe you thought the world would applaud your choice and the accompanying publicity would raise the value of your stock. Maybe you expected the masses to embrace you as the “face of change” for America and would launch your legacy to the stars. Forgive the world for jumping on the bandwagon and, instead, found your actions to be repugnant and unpatriotic.